Sharkado VR Review: Eye of the Storm - Shark Ripper in Virtual Reality

Ladies and gentlemen, all right. Yes, there's a brand new game Sharknado for PSVR. Of course, this is a port of a game originally released for the Oculus Rift some time ago, but the gist is still there. Given the increased acceptance of PSVR due to the still huge number of PS4s in the wild, and the lack of PS5 series consoles on sale shelves, this can be considered a "major" release of said game. The main question: what to expect from the game Sharknado ? Besides what to expect from the game Sharknado in VR?

You can watch the gorgeous Sharknado VR: Eye of the Storm Teaser here:

For those who don't know what this game is based on, the franchise Sharknado is a series of television films produced by the SyFy channel that are considered the pinnacle of entertainment trash. They are clearly not meant to be masterful productions, being nothing more than silly entertainment. For heaven's sake, this franchise is about a tornado full of sharks and how people try to defeat them with guns and chainsaws. Somehow they made it to six episodes, so Sharknado clearly there is an audience. Making a game about killing flying sharks with a chainsaw in virtual reality doesn't seem like the worst idea in the world, but given how the source material boasts about how low-budget and junk it is, one can only imagine how "polished" the game would be, based on the stated premise in in the end.

Like a good half of the library VSFR , Sharknado VR: Eye of the Stormthis is a very simple game. As you may have already guessed, your main goal is to aim and shoot at a bunch of sharks that will continuously fly towards you and then fly away as you are literally in the middle of the Sharknado action. I can't quite figure out the physical reasons why a human can stay on the floor but a 200kg shark can't, but hey, let's just assume it's still possible. The game also gives you a false sense of freedom by allowing you to walk around a small arena, but given the fact that the sharks will always spawn on one fixed side of the map, walking around is pointless. You can just stay in front of the invisible wall where the sharks appear and still beat the game in half an hour.

I have to admit that the gunplay itself isn't the worst thing I've seen on PSVR. This is one of the positive things they should mention if they ever decide to release a physical version of this game: "it plays better than Bravo Team". If you aim at a shark and shoot it, it will explode. You can also use a chainsaw, which can also be called Deus Ex Sharkina. If you just touch the shark while holding the chainsaw and pulling the trigger, it will explode right in front of you. Given the chainsaw's incredible reach, you can go through the entire game without even firing a bullet, as the chainsaw is so powerful it renders every other weapon and power-up obsolete, including the unnecessary super jump and firearms.

Presentation Sharknado VR is a sight worth looking at... and cringing. This may be the most budget-friendly VR game I've ever seen in my life, being developed by student projects running on a cheap Samsung Gear VR. The characters look like they were ripped straight from a Nintendo 64 game, and I don't even mean the pretty game for that console. I mean one of those bad games created by Titus back in 1999. The environments are laughably bad and simplistic, and the visuals are so cheap they're almost comical. However, the game does get some extra points for at least delivering a consistent 60fps at all times.

The sound design is another gem of incompetence. As you can imagine, it's cheap. Each of the four levels in this game has one tune that loops ad nauseum until you advance to the next level or decide to quit the game. The few sound effects present here are equally terrible. However, there is one twist in the sound department. You see, there's an introductory "cut scene" that shows the titular Sharknado vandalizing a small bar. Before said attack, you're greeted by the most amateurish redneck stereotype these innocent eyes and ears have ever seen or heard, as well as a bartender who clearly knows a thing or two about the effects of global warming on wild sharks. The conversation between them is wonderful. Worthy of an Oscar. Or the Palm Branch. Or both awards. Who am I to judge.

I must admit that Sharknado VR: Eye of the Storm turned out much better than expected. Sure, it's still a terrible game with primitive graphics, sound effects, and overall half an hour of content, but given that its source material isn't quite " Lord of the Rings" I expected much worse. This is not a game that I would strongly recommend to anyone, but there is still one thing - to play a real game Sharknado in virtual reality and being able to cut a shark in half with a chainsaw is definitely refreshing! At least it's not "totally terrible."

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